


Happy New Year

by Tamaha



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 07:42:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28467744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamaha/pseuds/Tamaha
Summary: A New Year's Eve party Oliver has to spend with Percy, no matter what.
Relationships: Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	Happy New Year

It was already 9 pm when Oliver arrived at the burrow for the big New Year's Eve party.

Earlier the evening, he had celebrated with his teammates and his parents spent the turn of the year overseas with some relatives that had emigrated to New Zealand. He couldn't have joined him because of important quidditch games.

But the party at the burrow was legendary and a tradition by now.

Also, he had a goal this night. Something to do so the next year would start off right.

There were already quite a few people at the party and Oliver needed some time to greet everyone and wish everyone a good new year.

The twins were busy working on the pyrotechnic. A fantastic show which made Oliver wonder if they could top it off at midnight.

Yet, there was one person he hadn't seen yet.

"Where is Percy?" Oliver asked Charlie who was helping Bill wrangle his children.

"For Merlin's sake, handling dragons is easier than this!" He cursed before he could focus on Oliver. "Percy?" Charlie wondered when he held Victoire with one arm around her middle so that she was kicking air. "Oh, he is in the ministry! Poor sod got the skeleton crew shift. An emergency crew that has to stay there in case something happens."

"Oh." Oliver frowned.

In the next moment was Dominique running past them, trying to escape her father. Charlie quickly grabbed her and hoisted her up as well. She started to wail and cry, drumming her little fist at her uncle.

"Worse than Norwegian Ridgebacks. That's why I don't have kids!" Charlie mumbled as he dragged the two troublemakers to their parents, completely forgetting Oliver.

From then on was the party a bit less fun for Oliver, since he could completely forget his plans for the night without Percy there.

He sat there thinking back and forth. Could he? Could he not?

At 10:30 pm Oliver decided what the hell. There is no better time than now!

He quickly grabbed a bottle of Champaign and two glasses and went for the fireplace.

"Going anywhere, mate?" A semi drunk Ron laughed while asking him when he grabbed a bit of floo powder.

"Yes, the ministry!" He said. For a moment, he wondered if he needed some food as well but thought that the ministry should at least provide that, if they keep some over there at New Year's Eve.

And then he stepped in the green flames.

It was almost deafening how quiet the atrium in the ministry was. The few times Oliver had to go there, it was always bustling with people and after the noise in the burrow was this quietness even more prominent.

No soul was to be seen.

Oliver marched the along corridors and down the elevators until he was at Percy's office. Oliver had visited him here just once so far.

After he had knocked was there a very surprised Percy at the other side of the door. "Oliver! What are you doing here!" Percy blinked and adjusted his glasses as if Oliver was just a trick his eyes were playing on him.

"I am here to celebrate with you!" He said and held the bottle and the glasses up as evidence.

"I can't drink." Percy said immediately. "I am at work."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Oh please, there is not really anything for you to do this night!"

Percy crooked his head to the side. "I've already been called to three emergencies this night."

"Shit, really?" Oliver gawked.

Now Percy rolled his eyes. "It weren't really emergencies. But wizards that drunkenly or carelessly put something aflame or were seen doing magic by muggles. Nothing dramatic. But they were still emergency calls." Percy sighed. "They just panicked."

Oliver thought about it. "But maybe one tiny sip to celebrate at midnight?" He asked hopeful, waving the bottle in his hand.

"I thought you wanted to celebrate at the burrow? I am sure there is much more fun." Percy said after he had finally let Oliver step inside his office.

Oliver shrugged. "Wasn't much fun without you."

"Ah." Was all what Percy could answer to that. He was clearly surprised.

"Do you have any food here?" Oliver cleared his throat and looked anywhere but at Percy.

"Yeah." Percy said after a moment when he had snapped out of a thought he just had. "But not here." Percy went for his door and Oliver noticed just now that he had been holding something in his hand as well. "I've just gone to my office to get something, so you've been lucky to actually meet me here."

Percy led Oliver through several other corridors until they reached a door that opened to a bigger room that was decorated festively. Along one side of the room were tables with food and drinks, and a few tables with chairs were scattered around the room. Some music played as well. Other wisely it was empty.

"Weird." Percy murmured and checked a crystal ball on a stand near a fireplace. Percy worked a bit on it and a moment later it repeated the last two emergency calls. "Looks like the others were called in too again."

He looked at Oliver. "We are a team of ten people. Considering how often we've been called in the last five hours they should have put more people to the task."

Then he put his little package on a table and gestured around the room. "That put aside, welcome to the ministry's New Year's Eve party. Food and drinks are over there, no alcohol though."

Oliver waved his bottle again with a grin. "Beside this!"

Percy rolled his eyes. Then he opened his package and took out some games. A stack of cards, a travel size chess set and dices.

"It's so weird, we are either dying of boredom in here or have to rush to a scene. I will certainly try to avoid it next year."

Soon, they settled on a table with some food and something to drink. Oliver's bottle wasn't opened yet. That was for midnight. They played exploding snap with the cards Percy had brought and talked over the past year and reminisced over their lives since they've had left Hogwarts.

More and more people came back from their calls and the room got busier again. They gladly took the other games Percy had brought and it felt more and more like a party.

Then, a quarter till midnight, came in another call. "Weasley, your turn!" Someone shouted and Percy went to answer it.

Oliver wanted to snatch him back and make him stay, but he had to remind himself that Percy was working after all.

Oliver joined him when the call just ended. "What is it?"

"Oh, just another muggle that had seen magic." Percy sighed and went for the fireplace. Fortunately, they didn't need to walk all the way back to the atrium to travel with floo. "It will be quick, I am sure." Percy smiled at Oliver. "Just wait here."

Oliver looked at the clock at the wall. Ten minutes till midnight. "Can I come with you?"

"That's not necessary." Percy said.

"Please." Oliver didn't care if it sounded needed. This was important.

Percy hesitated first, but then nodded. "Okay, this should be quick."

The travel was fast to the house the emergency came from. It was one of these partly muggle, partly wizard villages.

They were greeted by a witch who quickly led them outside.

Her husband had the muggle petrified on their lawn. "He shouldn't be here." The wizard defended himself. "I have no idea where he came from. He saw us doing magic up fireworks, I think."

"Well, he probably wouldn't have told much, since he is drunk." Percy observed as he investigated the muggle.

Percy unpetrified him, remodeled his memory a little and charmed him with the urgent need to go home.

Once the muggle was gone, was there a sudden increase of fireworks around them and the bells of a near church started to ring frequently.

"Midnight, I guess." Percy said as he watched the night sky lighten up with fireworks.

"Well, then." Oliver said and stepped closer to Percy.

"Happy new year…" Percy said before he was grabbed by the collar and pulled closer until Oliver crashed their lips together.

They stood there, kissing for a moment. Or two. Honestly, Percy had no idea how long they kissed, but it had to end eventually.

"What was that?" Percy said smiling.

"New Year's kiss. A tradition to share with a loved one." Oliver said and gave Percy another peck on the lips. "And I hope there will be much more of this in the near future."

Percy blushed and looked away briefly with a smile. "We should go back. It's getting cold and we are done here."

"Done here, but not done with each other." Oliver said grinning.

"Indeed." Percy breathed.

They walked back to the fireplace with joined hands.

When they returned to the ministry, was the room empty again. Percy checked the crystal ball again. "Huh. There weren't any new calls since ours."

"Oh, you are back." Someone said who came into the room. And without another word did he take the stand with the crystal ball and carried it out of the room.

"Where is everyone?" Percy called after him confused.

"The food is gone too." Oliver mentioned. "And my bottle!"

So, they followed the man wherever he was going.

When they reached atrium, Percy stood still in shock and gasped.

The atrium was decorated and everywhere were tables with food, but most importantly were there a lot of people. More people than the few that were assigned to the skeleton crew shift. The other room would have been definitely too small for all these people.

Percy easily spotted his family among the new guests.

"Percy!" His mother shouted when she spotted them. "We didn't want to begin the new year without you, so we brought everything here!" She explained.

A glass of Champaign was shoved in his hand and Oliver smiled at him with his own glass raised.

"You are a bit late, but we waited for you!" George told him and all the family members raised their glasses for a toast.

"I can't…" Percy started to say but was interrupted by Fred.

"Just one sip. That won't kill you!" He said. "Or cost you your job!"

Percy complied for just one sip.

Then they all wished each other a happy new year and embraced each other greatly.

Oliver hugged Percy as well and stayed like this for a moment longer. "To the next year." He whispered into Percy's ear.

Then there were fireworks at the high ceiling of the atrium making everyone look up.

Percy and Oliver joined their hands again.

_To the next year._


End file.
